What is the Shadow?
Carl Jung described the shadow as the part of ourselves that we reject, disown, or deny. We may not even know that certain emotions or behaviours exist or have the potential to exist within us because they are so deeply repressed within us. When we inhibit our emotions in this way, we often project them onto others and the world around us. These qualities become external things we either judge, feel frightened of or are irritated by. Shadow work is about us consciously engaging in practices that help us integrate and bring into consciousness the parts of us we might dislike or have disowned in the past. It is an ongoing process of bringing to light what has lay hidden in the unconscious or the parts that we have refused to accept and see in ourselves.
Knowing your own darkness is the best method for dealing with the darkness of other people - Carl Jung
Bringing Awareness to the Shadow
Even when we are not fully conscious of our shadow, we use a vast amount of energy to try to suppress what is contained there. We tend to portray a particular image of ourselves to the world, and it’s like constantly putting on a mask of how we want others or the outside world to perceive us – this represents the persona. Suppressing the emotions, behaviours or parts of ourselves that we perceive as ‘wrong’ can cause physical, mental and emotional exhaustion.
Why is it so important, especially for Highly Sensitive People?
A huge part of our healing and transformation as Highly Sensitive People involves bringing awareness to the parts of us that we have suppressed or denied – and learning to be vulnerable enough to embrace these parts of ourselves – to bring them to light. It is often when we experience trauma, difficulties in life or a series of challenging events that we are ‘broken open’, and the emotions or parts of us that we have kept hidden can no longer stay dormant. In times of crisis, they are brought to the surface, and the shadow work commences. During such times, having a coach or guide is crucial, especially for HSPs who might experience stronger emotional responses. This process, though intense, can be a profound catalyst for psychospiritual transformation.
Shadow work is also crucial because if we’re overly focused on spiritual development in an attempt to avoid or deny the challenges of our human experience, then we’re engaging in a sort of spiritual bypass. This includes avoiding suffering, grief, and anxiety and rejecting the shadow aspects of ourselves that we have deemed wrong or bad. However, it is often in these disowned aspects that our gifts and treasures lie.
It is by going down into the abyss that we recover the treasures of life. Where you stumble, there lies your treasure.” Joseph Campbell
The word 'sensitive' is often loaded with many negative connotations; for many of us, we have learnt to deny, repress or feel ashamed of our sensitivity, and even this fundamental aspect of ourselves has been pushed into the shadow.
This leads many highly sensitive people to feel that they need to present a 'mask' to the world, which means they are not living fully in alignment with their authentic nature. This is not something for a highly sensitive person to be ashamed of, it is a natural response to living in a society or culture that does not always value sensitivity. Many of us had to suppress our sensitive nature in order to survive - it was a healthy response to the conditions of our childhood. However, as adults, we usually have more strength and capacity or choice to start to bring our sensitive nature out of the shadow and into the light. Shadow Work, as a Highly Sensitive Person, is about embracing our traits, integrating the parts of us that we may have denied or wanted to push away and then bringing them to light.
In other words, this work enables us to come into connection with our golden shadow; bringing our greatest potential and hidden gifts into awareness. It also helps us bring to light our creativity, power, and strength. Some other benefits include:
Improved relationships
Increased energy
Healing trauma
Greater self-awareness
Integration and inner peace
Feeling more whole in yourself
Showing up as your authentic self
Greater self-acceptance
Feeling more empowered
Being able to choose how we respond to triggers
Shadow work is not easy, and it is a life-long process, meaning it needs to be constantly worked on and explored and with the right support and resources, it becomes a powerful catalyst for our psycho-spiritual transformation and healing. I often compare it to a spiral or peeling back the layers of an onion, where each time we engage with the work, another layer can be peeled back. It can be uncomfortable to look at the parts of ourselves that we have denied or repressed; however, in the long run, shadow work provides a pathway for HSPs to recognize their sensitivity as a strength rather than a weakness, fostering a greater sense of self-acceptance and authenticity.
About the Author
Jules De Vitto has a BSc in Psychology, MA in Education and MSc in Transpersonal Psychology, Consciousness and Spirituality and is an accredited transpersonal coach, trainer and experienced educator. She is the founder of the Highly Sensitive Human Academy - a central hub that offers courses, coaching, articles and a podcast for Highly Sensitive People. She helps those who identify with the traits of high sensitivity to navigate emotional overwhelm, step into their authentic power and align with their true purpose in life.
She is a published author and wrote one of a series of books on Resilience, Navigating Loss in a time of Crisis. Her research has also been published in the Transpersonal Coaching Psychology Journal and Journal of Consciousness, Spirituality, and Transpersonal Psychology.
In addition to her academic and coaching pursuits, Jules has spent years engaging in deep transformative healing work. She is a Reiki Master and Teacher and has completed Michael Harner’s Shamanic Practitioner Training through the Foundation of Shamanic Studies and a Grief Ritual Leadership Training with Francis Weller.
Jules is passionate about creating community for Highly Sensitive People and embracing the full spectrum of our emotional and sensory capacities rather than trying to ‘fix’ ourselves. Deepening the connection to our sensitivity enables us to open our hearts and form better relationships with ourselves, others and the world.
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